Day One — very extended — in Sydney. July 16/17 2015.

Didn’t finish this last night (Friday night) so I’m wrapping up today’s (yesterday’s) report now and sending

Hi “Mates”-

It’s now close to 10 pm in Sydney, Australia on Friday night; It’s about 5 am I believe — in California.

So as I approach my 47th hour.. beginning on Wednesday morning at about 6 am when I awoke in Oakland until now — I’m truly beginning to fade. But I’m going to hang in as long as I can to draft this memo, although I might finish it tomorrow morning. Since I’m now beginning to fade – big time.!

For those who are not aware that I’m even gone —

I’m speaking at a conference called “Engagement Australia” which is focused on the role of universities in engaging with their communities. I’m giving a quasi-research paper, running a roundtable, and participating in the closing panel discussion. Conference starts on Monday (my presentations are not quite finished yet) and goes through Wednesday. I leave on Thursday afternoon in one of those not-to be-believed flights that lands in SF before it takes off from Sydney. I’ll be in the office on Thursday, as I arrive at about 8 am.

I left on Wednesday night (July 15) at about 11 pm after a long and complicated day of work in California. Arrived in Sydney at 6:30 am on Friday. Thursday just evaporated in a poof! Naturally, my hotel couldn’t check me in as check in is at 2 pm… so I had a second breakfast (already had one on the plane) and sat in the lobby for about three hours and then my room was ready. I would have taken a walk but it was pouring and quite cold. Sydney is getting more rain than usual (maybe it’s our west coast rain that they are getting) and it’s colder than usual. I’m not completely prepared for the cold.. but I’m faring ok.

Got my room on the top floor with great views of the harbour and city.. the train actually goes under my hotel and the hotel is built up above the street. Cool.. From my window I can see the train zipping through. Can’t hear a thing and building doesn’t shake (unlike some NYC buildings where you can feel the subway. Showered; changed out of the clothes I had been wearing for about 35 hours and was determined to stay up all day so that I didn’t suffer from jet lag. So off I went.

Headed for the Museum of Contemporary Art.. figured I needed to go to things that were indoors because of the rain, which had subsided but was hovering above in dark clouds. Museum has only contemporary Australian art which was interesting; some edgy, quasi political statements.. but as you know I’m not a big fan of museums as warehouses of culture, so I decided to avail myself of their rooftop café which had great food and fantastic views and some interesting sculptures.. Foodies: I had a salmon and potato salad with all sorts of herbs.. mint, parsley, dill etc. in lieu of any lettuce, with a very nice lemony dressing. From there I strolled the area called The Rocks.. stopping in at a crafts collective that wasn’t very good and then walked to the Strand Arcade… which was great.

It’s from the 1890s — one of those grand arcades built during the Victorian era. I think it’s the only one remaining in its original form. And it’s like some of those arcades in London.. probably was a very fashionable shopping street in its day.. and it’s been preserved and renovated and remains a shopping arcade, with a second floor showcasing Australian designers. My understanding is that it became run down and in the 1980s there was an effort to renovate and it was reopened in its original splendor. The story also says that when they demolished a nearby building after a fire they found some Australian red cedar logs that they used to replace ones that had rotted. I strolled the arcade and went into a few shops (you know I’m a great shopper).. and found a really interesting store that sold jewelry and housewares all made out of beautifully colored acrylics… and learned they were having a warehouse sale at their “factory” shop which was quite a distance from the central area I was in… It was now 4 pm and I figured I had to stay up through dinner, so I ventured to a neighborhood called Redfern.. took the train, figured out how it works.. got off at Redfern, but couldn’t find the address on my iPhone GPS… so I hailed a taxi (you hail them here just like NY.. none of that mamby pamby phoning for a cab)… He got a bit lost too.. but eventually we found it (it was easily only about a 10 minute walk. Went to the sale (which had some nice things, but realized I couldn’t carry back bowls and such, so I just got a simple necklace and a pair of earrings (always good things to get when traveling since they don’t weigh anything).

Then I meandered my way through this alley system (in the dark — I didn’t calculate that while I entered the shop when it was light, it would be dark when I exited)… to the train station and headed back to the hotel.. Train system is pretty efficient here, but not cheap. Changed clothes and was going to head to a restaurant in The Rocks section, but decided that at 8 pm my 45 hours of being awake was beginning to take its toll.. So I walked a few blocks from the hotel (I’m in North Sydney — more about that in another note).. to a Thai restaurant called Kinn Restaurant — sort of upscale Thai.. Food was good, not great. And then at about 9:30 headed back to the hotel.. and finally went to sleep.

Today, (It’s Saturday at 9 am here already.. Gee you Americans are just so slow.. cannot keep up with us here in Australia.. hurry up and get to Saturday).. I’ve got to put some time into both talks (!!) but first I’m headed to Paddington Market — a Saturday market.. and to that neighborhood.. and then probably long walk to Australian Museum (??) and maybe to go up to the top of the Sydney Tower (something Mike loves to do when he travels.. see the city from above.. I will do it if there aren’t any long lines of tourists — hate those tourists).. and then after working on the presentations, I’m planning to go to the zoo so that I can quash everyone’s thought that I wouldn’t see any kangaroos! And tonight I got tickets to a concert at the Sydney Opera House.

More tonight after Saturday is over.. and you’ll all still be on Friday. Fascinating.

All my best to everyone.

Looks like it’s blue skies today, but very cold. They even had some snow just north of here.

Fern (from down under)